CHINESE artificial intelligence (AI) apps, some from social media giant ByteDance, are gaining in the US market despite political challenges faced by the TikTok owner, reports Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

Gauth, marketed as an "AI homework helper" by ByteDance subsidiary GauthTech, was the second most-downloaded education app for Apple iOS devices in the US, behind language-learning platform Duolingo, according to the latest market survey firm Data.ai.

Question.AI, which also touts itself as an AI homework helper, ranked third in the Data.ai survey. This app is backed by Zuoyebang, a Beijing-based online education services start-up.

The overseas success of these education apps shows how some Chinese education technology (edtech) enterprises are managing to survive crackdowns on this sector.